The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

2 Timothy 2:11-18, “It is a trustworthy statement: for if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us;
13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
14 Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
16 But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness,
17 and their talk will spread like gangrene…
18 men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.”

Godly, born-again parents will always possess the desire that their children come to know the LORD; thus, they will exercise a behavior that will accredit the LORD to others. The initial four verses in the above passage contain the word “if,” giving the certain impression of their importance. The first two of the four “ifs” are negative; the latter two are positive.

“If we died with Him, we will also live with Him.” Have we truly died to ourselves? Our wants? Our desires? It is imperative that we do so if we intend to live with Him throughout eternity. “If we endure (i.e., “keep on keeping on,” and don’t give up!), we will “reign with Him” throughout eternity. If, however, we are “faithless,” He will nevertheless always be faithful because He cannot “deny” or “disown” what He is!

We, who are believers who follow Christ, are responsible to encourage other believers. We’re not to fuss and fight over the nuances of words. The Bible is clear and understandable to all believers. As believers, we just need to share Him and the Word with others. If we are faithful in sharing the Word with others, the Word will soon take on a life of its own.

Don’t get into wrangles over lesser issues; just stick to the clarity of Scripture and it will itself become alive in the hearts of others. It’s really that easy to share. In the long run, it is not our responsibility whether others believe; it is simply our responsibilty to present the Word in such a way that they will have no difficulty seeing that we believe. I’ve witnessed several people come to faith in Christ in a very short time; others have taken much, much longer. What’s important is our faithfulness. When we are faithful, the LORD will give us His approval. What more could we want?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom